If you want to breath new life into your home, one of the least expensive ways is to give it a fresh coat of paint. Even if you have never painted before, with some careful planning and a little bit of practice, you can achieve professional looking results. Read this article for some helpful tips how you can tackle your painting project.
Over the years, your walls have accumulated dirt and dust. You cannot just paint over that. Give your walls a thorough cleaning to prepare the surface. Paint can usually camouflage slight flaws on your walls, if your walls have cracks or holes left by old nails, you need fill those in with a bit of spackle. Repair your walls and wait for the spots to dry. When your walls are completely dried from cleaning, you are ready for the next step.
To give yourself a professional finish, you should apply a cost a primer beneath your paint. You may think that is a waste of time to paint twice. However, primer helps your paint stay on the wall better. It also helps bring out the true color of your paint. If you really want your paint job to look like it is done by an expert, do not skip this important step. Yes, it adds to the time and effort of your project, but the end results will be worth it.
When you are ready to paint, always paint the ceiling first. This is the trickiest part to paint because the surface is upside-down, and you need to prevent the paint from dripping on you. Using brushes can get get messy because paint can run down toward the handle of your paint brush. The most convenient way is to use a paint roller on the end of a long paint stick to apply the paint. The paint stays on the roller better, and it will minimize drips.
If you see a color at the paint store that you might like, but are just not sure about how the color will actually look like on your wall, buy a small sample can. Apply it to a section of your wall, and let the color dry. This is the best way to help you visualize how your room will look with that color on your walls. If you do not like it, you have not made a big investment. Just prime over it and try another color.
When you are working on your ceiling, be sure that the paint does not run onto the walls that join it beneath. This can cause drip marks along the edges that will dry out make the edges look uneven. Mask off those walls if the paint run cannot be controlled otherwise.
If you are using a roller as your main painting tool, paint the edges with a paint brush. A roller cannot get into the corners where two walls join. You need to use a paint brush and apply the paint evenly along both edges first. After you do that, you can paint the rest of the wall with the roller. Use long, even strokes, and go slowly.
These are the basic steps to a great paint job. Do not rush through it, and you will get professional results.